An A/1 visa allows its holder to experience Israel before committing to becoming Israeli citizens. The applicant must complete the Aliyah exam process before applying for this visa.

Aliyah is the return to the homeland of Jews, namely to Israel, with the restoration of their civil rights.

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Who can apply for a temporary resident A/1 visa?

All persons eligible for immigration under the return Act can apply for a temporary residence a/1 visa. this means that you will need to fall into one of the following categories to get a permit:

• You have Jewish roots.
• You have officially converted to Judaism.
• You are married to a Jew.

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How do I apply for an A/1 visa to Israel?

When applying for an A/1 visa for temporary residence in Israel, you will need to complete several procedures. Based on how you complete the application process, the authorities representing Israel in your country of residence will decide on your application.

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When should I apply for an A/1 visa?

Apply for an A/1 visa to Israel one to two months before your scheduled travel date. Make sure that you meet all the requirements at the time of applying.

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Where can I apply for an A/1 visa?

To apply for an A/1 visa, you will need to submit a completed application to the competent authorities of your country of residence for an Israeli visa. It can be:

• Israeli Embassy
• Israeli Consulate
• A third-party visa application center to which Israel has transferred a visa contract

Please contact the Israeli embassy in your country of residence for this information before starting the application process.

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Fill out the A/1 visa application form

The form contains questions about your nationality, first name, last name, full names of your parents, your profession, and your planned trip to Israel. Don't forget to attach the photo to the questionnaire in the designated place.

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Collect the documents

1. A/1 visa application form. It is necessary to download and fill out the correct form for this visa.
2. Two photos with size 5.5x5.5;
3. Valid passport;
4. Previous passports;
5. Flight booking;
6. Your birth certificate;
7. Payment of the corresponding A/1 visa fee;
8. Documents confirming a civil marriage/divorce/death certificate. 
9. If you are married to an Israeli, you will need to provide an apostille certificate of marital status;
10. Letter from a recognized rabbin: acceptable proof of Judaism is a letter from a recognized rabbin confirming how the rabbin knows you and indicating that you are Jewish(ka) and born(na) to a Jewish mother;

The letter must be written within the last year on official letterhead.

It should include the name, location, and phone number of the meeting, as well as your full legal name and the names of your parents and, if possible, the names of your grandparents.

The letter must be signed by the rabbin, and the name and title of the rabbin must be on the letterhead.

If you have converted to Judaism, you will need to submit other documents confirming the completion of the conversion process. You will receive further instructions when applying.

Collect all these documents before the visa day for an interview at the embassy/consulate/Visa Application Center.

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Attend a visa application for an interview

On the day of the reception, you will have to meet with a consular official, to whom you will submit the necessary documents. This person will interview you about your application, your intention to travel to Israel, and other details about it.

Applying for a visa to Israel

It will take at least five days to apply for a temporary A/1 resident visa to Israel. Make sure that you have submitted your application in advance so that the embassy has enough time to process it.

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How long can I stay in Israel with a temporary residence visa?

The A/1 temporary residence visa in Israel is valid for three years. By the end of the third year, you can apply for a visa extension for another two years.

The total period of stay in Israel on a temporary resident A/1 visa is five years. After five years, if you want to continue living in Israel, you have two options:

• Apply for Aliyah;
• Apply for an A/5 visa, which can be renewed every two years.
• What can I do with an A/1 visa in Israel?
• The Israel temporary residence visa Act a / 1 sets out rules about what you can and can't do while living in Israel on this visa.
• You can legally work in Israel.
• You can register with an Israeli health care provider after spending 183 consecutive days in Israel.
• You can take advantage of the income tax discount on the income you receive in Israel.
• You are eligible for a purchase tax reduction.
• You don't have to be in the Israel Defense Forces.

An Israeli temporary residence visa (legally known as an A/5 temporary residence visa) gives its holder the legal right to reside in Israel and receive an Israeli identification card (teudat zehut) and other social benefits such as health insurance. 

A temporary residence visa in Israel is usually granted by the Ministry of the interior for one year and can be revoked if circumstances change, such as leaving Israel for an extended period of time.

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Who can apply for an A/5 visa?

Before submitting your first request for a temporary residence permit of type a/5, make sure that:

• The applicant can attend in person;
• A minor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian;
• The applicant has prepared the necessary package of documents:

1) completed and signed request forms;

2) 2 photos;

3) international passport;

4) in respect of a minor – a power of attorney signed by both parents;

5) an explanation letter describing the nature of the request;

6) letter from the employer (if the applicant works);

7) proof of residence in Israel, such as: lease agreement, ownership of the apartment, payment of bills (electricity, water, land tax, etc.), bank reports, children's school certificates, etc.

Original documents, certified and translated documentation have been prepared:

1) birth certificate;

2) public certificate of name change (if such change has occurred);

3) a public certificate from the country of origin indicating the current and previous personal status;

4) an up-to-date certificate of no criminal record.

Affidavit prepared by the applicant: in this document, the applicant declares the authenticity of the documentation and undertakes to inform the authorities of any changes in their circumstances;

Declaration signed by the applicant: in this document, the applicant indicates that he has been informed that the request will be rejected as soon as possible if the entire package of required documents is not submitted within 45 days.

Where should I submit my request?

A request for a temporary residence visa should be submitted in Israel to the Regional Office of the population office closest to the place of residence of the person submitting the request.

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Can I extend the validity of my A/5 temporary residence visa?

Before applying for an extension of the validity period of a temporary residence visa in Israel, make sure that the request is submitted at least 90 days before the expiration of the current permit.

The applicant must prepare the necessary package of documents:

1) completed and signed request forms;

2) relevant photos;

3) international passport;

4) for a minor – a power of attorney signed by both parents;

5) an explanation letter describing the nature of the request;

6) letter from the employer (if the applicant works);

7) proof of residence in Israel has been prepared for the request for permanent residence: lease agreements, local bank accounts, salary receipts, etc.

8) affidavit prepared by the applicant: in this document, the applicant indicates the authenticity of the documentation and undertakes to inform the authorities of any changes.

This visa is intended only for USA citizens and allows them to temporarily reside and work in Israel for the purpose of managing and developing a business enterprise.

An investor applying for an investor visa to Israel must meet the following conditions:

1) invest a significant amount of your own money in a new or existing Israeli business;

2) own at least 50% of the business;

3) the business must be profitable;

4) it is necessary to demonstrate that the business will generate an income significantly exceeding that required for the life of the investor and his family;

5) businesses should have a plan for hiring Israeli workers.

Permanent residents of Israel have almost the same rights as Israeli citizens. They have an Israeli identity card (Teudat Zehut) and are usually allowed to stay in Israel indefinitely. They enjoy many social rights under the National Insurance Act, which include, among other things, Income Support and unemployment benefits.

Foreign nationals who are in marital relations with Israeli nationals may be eligible for permanent resident status in Israel. This status is granted so that the couple can live together in the country. However, obtaining this status is long and takes several years. The relevant rules (for couples who are in a civil marriage) include a step-by-step procedure in which visas are granted to stay in Israel for a relatively short period of time and must be renewed periodically (usually once a year). At the end of the process, a permanent residence permit is granted, which, in some cases, is then changed to Israeli citizenship. 

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Palestinians and persons seeking permanent residence permits for humanitarian reasons

Residents of Palestine and foreign nationals who are interested in obtaining legal status in Israel for humanitarian reasons may also be eligible for permanent resident status in Israel. However, Israeli law is very ambiguous about such cases. The policy of the Ministry of the Interior significantly limits the possibility of organizing legal status for Palestinians and asylum seekers. Accordingly, in these cases, it is particularly important to seek the help of a professional with immigration experience in light of the aforementioned ambiguity and arbitrary decisions that may be made as a result.

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For residents of Palestine – since the Prohibition of Family Reunification Act came into force in 2003, the law generally doesn’t allow Palestinians who have marital relations with Israeli citizens or permanent residents to obtain citizenship or permanent residence in Israel. In these cases, as a rule, a temporary residence permit is issued instead of permanent residence. As a result, Palestinian residents can sometimes stay in Israel for decades, but they will have to renew their residence permit every year. There is a lot of criticism about this state of affairs.

What is repatriation?

Repatriation to Israel (also known as "Aliyah") is the process of returning to their homeland or obtaining Israeli citizenship by people with Jewish roots who currently have a passport from another country.

This procedure was made possible by the adoption by the Israeli Knesset in 1950 of the "Law on return", which gives the right to repatriation to every Jew, and since then the number of citizens who have used this right has been increasing.

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Who can become a repatriate?

But not every Jew "by passport" is recognized as a representative of the people, has the right to repatriation. The law on return to Israel rather narrowly interprets the concept of "Jew". For the purposes of applying repatriation legislation, only Jews are recognized as Jews:

halakhic Jews, i.e. those born to a Jewish mother;

those who have passed giyur (the rite of conversion of "Goya" to Judaism) and have abandoned or never belonged to another religious denomination.

Those who believe that they received Jewry through their father's or other male line (from their grandfather), the law on repatriation to Israel does not recognize Jews, and therefore does not grant them the right to return. The only immigration option for them is to convert to Judaism. 

In addition to Jews, citizens of the country born abroad have the right to repatriation, regardless of their religion, if at least one of the parents is an Israeli citizen born on its territory.

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Check if you are eligible for repatriation

1. People who were born on the territory of the former Soviet Union who aren’t Israeli citizens.

Who can apply?

Passport holders who aren’t Israeli citizens. You can only apply as part of your citizenship, work permit, or student visa application. To do this, you must apply in person.

What documents are required to apply for repatriation?

- Your passport;

- Your original birth certificate for each family member;

- Marital status documents;

- Your parents' marriage certificate;

- Your parents' birth certificates;

- Death certificates;

- Employment records;

- Military records;

- Diplomas and certificates of Higher Education;

- Apostille-certified certificates of Good Conduct for applicants between the ages from 14 to 75;

- Any other document confirming your application based on the refund Act.

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How do I apply?

Apply to any Office of the Population and Immigration Administration. You will be provided with a questionnaire about changing your status in a pre-paid envelope for a refund.

Fill out the application form and send it to:

Prime Minister's office-Nativ Street

37 Yirmiyagu, Migdel ha-Bira

9446722 Jerusalem

Further processing of the application

A representative of the Nativ consular department will contact you to arrange a meeting with the consul.

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2. People who were born in Central and Eastern Europe who don’t have Israeli citizenship

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Who can apply?

People holding an international passport from the following countries: Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, who are not Israeli citizens. You can only apply as part of your citizenship, residence permit, work permit, or student visa application.

What documents are needed to apply?

- Your passport;

- Your original birth certificate for each family member;

- References and documents of your parents;

- Apostille-certified certificates of Good Conduct for applicants between the ages of 14 and 75;

- Any other document confirming your application based on the refund Act.

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How do I apply?

Apply to any Office of the Population and Immigration Administration. The status change file opens. You will be provided with a phone number and email address to make an appointment with a representative of the Consular Department in Nativ.

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3. Citizens of the former Soviet Union countries

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Who can apply?

People who were born in the countries of the former Soviet Union living within these countries.

What documents are required to apply?

• Passport;
• Color photo with size 3x4, for each family member who applies;
• Original birth certificate of each family member;
• Marital status documents for each family member;
• Your parents' marriage certificate;
• Your parents' birth certificates;
• Grandparents' certificates and documents;
• Death certificates of grandparents or parents, if any;
• Employment records;
• Military records;
• Higher education diplomas, certificates;
• Apostille-certified certificates of Good Conduct for each applicant between the ages from 14 to 75;
• Any other document confirming your application under the refund Act.

How do I apply?

Make an appointment with the local official representative office of Israel by phone or email.

Every family member who is interested in checking their repatriation status should come to the same scheduled appointment with all the necessary documents. 

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Repatriation programs in Israel

The program of returning Jewish to Israel is a set of measures for people of Jewish nationality, aimed at facilitating the study of Israel, resettlement in the country and adaptation to Israeli society in a new place of residence for various groups and categories of immigrants. The implementation of repatriation programs is entrusted to the Jewish Agency («Sokhnut»), acting on behalf of the government. «Sokhnut» provides full information and other necessary support to repatriates, gives them an understanding of whether to repatriate to Israel, and accompanies the resettlement process at every stage.

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To realize the abilities and capabilities of repatriates, the agency has developed many integration programs for different categories. These are short-term programs for getting acquainted with the state, training programs for children and young people, employment programs for specialists, and many other programs.

Let's take a closer look, what the repatriation program to Israel provides for.

The Jewish Agency offers many short-and long-term programs for children and young people who plan (including in the future) to connect their lives with Israel. Let's look at the most popular ones:

● IL - Children's camp in Israel, where every year in the summer, for 10 days, teenagers aged 13-17 years from different countries of the world have a rest, get acquainted with Jewish culture and traditions.

● The project ELI  (Educational Leaders Institute) is an annual course of madrichs (young counselors and leading groups), which allows you to get a job in one of the agency's camps.

● NAALE– a program, lasting 3-4 years for students from different countries of the world who have the right to repatriate and want to finish school in Israel and get an Israeli certificate.

● SELA WORLD  - a program for training eligible young people aged 17-21 to enter Israeli higher and vocational education institutions. The duration of the program is 10 months.

● MASA – internship and training project in Israel for young people and couples aged 18-30 years. The duration of the program is 6-12 months. The project provides for many programs of various directions, including student, youth, and religious ones. It is possible to send as a volunteer to funds to help repatriates in Israel.

In order to fully adapt repatriates to Israeli society, the Jewish Agency has developed several absorption programs, which provide assistance to migrants with a significant part of everyday problems. The most famous programs:

• "First home in homeland"  is a program for middle – aged families and non-families (28-45 years old), which provides for settlement in Kibbutz-Israeli agricultural communes. Repatriates are provided with housing, they are freed from most household chores and can spend all their time learning the language and adapting. Kibbutz also has facilities for children.
• Municipal absorption is a project in which migrants choose their own city and place of residence, but their adaptation takes place in close cooperation with the curator and the municipality. The set of benefits in each city is individual. 
• Youth repatriation programs – a set of programs for young people and young professionals of Jewish origin aged 18-35 years, who are provided with temporary housing, food and a temporary place of work for rapid adaptation and study of Hebrew.

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Professional programs

In cooperation with public and private entities and employers, the agency has developed many programs for the professional adaptation and employment of repatriates. A person who decides to move can find a job in accordance with their existing experience or retrain and get a new profession.

Today there are programs for specialists of various professional fields:

• doctors, nurses and teachers;
• bus and truck drivers;
• programmers and developers;
• employees of Health and children's health and educational centers;
• engineers, technicians, electricians, vehicle maintenance specialists;
• operators, designers and woodworkers;
• cooks, trainers, rescuers, construction workers and many others.

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Repatriation process

The relocation procedure is quite transparent and step-by-step thought out by program «Sokhnut». By the way, the agency and its territorial representative offices in the country of residence are the first place where a repatriate needs to apply. You can find contacts of representative offices in the CIS countries here.

In the agency, the applicant will be able to get full information about the process and content of repatriation, the stages and further steps that the process of repatriation to Israel involves, and can also count on the necessary assistance in preparing documents.

The entire procedure contains:

1. Passing a diplomatic check and obtaining a visa.
2. Select the repatriation program, place of future residence, date and time of flight.
3. Booking a ticket, flight to Israel.
4. Communication with the coordinator, moving to the place of residence.
5. Registration at the place of residence, receiving the necessary assistance and other adaptation measures.

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The list of documents for repatriation to Israel includes:

1. Documents confirming Jewish roots, including birth certificates, birth certificates of parents or grandparents, marriage certificates of parents, grandparents, extracts from archives and house books, documents from the rabbin, and so on;
2. Documents on the current marital status, including birth/marriage/divorce/death certificates of the spouse;
3. Application form for repatriation;
4. Valid passport and all invalid passports;
5. Documents confirming your stay in Israel (if you have and are undergoing training programs, internships, or stays for other reasons), a list of visits and their duration;
6. Educational documents (certificate, University diploma);
7. Labor documents (employment record);
8. Certificate of non-criminal record;
9. Identity card of close relatives who are Israeli citizens;
10. One color photo with size 3x4.

The entire list of documents for repatriation to Israel is translated into Hebrew, certified by a notary and apostilled. All documents must be authentic and submitted in their original form.

Please note that in each case, an individual package of documents is submitted, so it may differ for each individual case. The more documents confirming Jewish roots, the better.

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Passing the consular check

The main thing that is required for repatriation to Israel is approval from the consulate. The future migrant must independently contact the repatriation department at the local Israeli embassy and make an appointment.

In the future, all submitted documents will pass a legal examination for reliability. In each case, the verification procedure is purely individual and can take a long time. It is recommended to submit documents no later than six months before the desired departure date.

As a result, the applicant is issued an entry visa for 6 months. During this time, the repatriates must go through all other procedures and move to Israel.

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Appeal to a Jewish Agency

If the applicant did not apply to program «Sokhnut» before applying to the consulate, it is high time to do so at this stage. Representatives of the agency will help with determining the date of the flight and choosing the place of future residence, offer affordable repatriation programs to Israel from program «Sohnut». If a suitable program is not found, the agency's representatives with local curators will help you develop the first stages of future residence in Israel based on the repatriate's capabilities, wishes, life experience, and the presence of close relatives and friends.

When all the main issues are resolved, «Sohnut» employees will book The repatriate a free plane ticket and arrange a meeting at the airport.

A non-Jew can obtain Israeli citizenship by naturalization.

Naturalization refers to the process of long-term residence in a country legally for a period established by law and obtaining a citizenship sanction from the competent state authorities.

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The law provides for the following requirements and conditions for obtaining Israeli citizenship for naturalization:

• stay in Israel at the time of application;
• stay in Israel for the last three years out of the five prior to applying;
• permanent residence permit issued no earlier than 4.5 years after entering the country;
• knowledge of Hebrew at a sufficient level (training level in ulpans);
• intention to reside permanently in the country;
• refusal of an existing passport.

Naturalization is the only (except marriage) way to obtain Israeli citizenship without repatriation. Obtaining a passport in accordance with the above steps requires patience, a complex and lengthy bureaucratic process. And there are no guarantees that, having fulfilled all the conditions, a person will receive approval from the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Article 5 of the law allows you to deviate from them and refuse to grant citizenship.  Even if you have legally lived 3 years out of the last 5 with a residence permit (the minimum period that you need to live in Israel to obtain citizenship), many applicants are refused.

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Article 6 of the Act provides for a number of categories exempt from these conditions, including: persons who served in the Israeli army, children of Army soldiers who died in the service, and some others. In addition, on the recommendation of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, some persons may be fully or partially exempt from fulfilling these conditions. All you need to get Israeli citizenship in this case is a letter from the Interior Minister.

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Applicants who have obtained a passport by naturalization enjoy the full range of civil and political rights of Israelis. However, they don’t acquire the right to benefits, monetary assistance and benefits from the state for repatriates.

What documents are required?

You will need:

• your identify card;
• your passport or travel document;
• evidence of living in Israel for the last 3 years;
• completed naturalization application;
• completed application for additional citizenship.

More information about naturalization and the application process can be found here.

The Israeli authorities in March 2023 issued a new law on obtaining citizenship, according to which immigrants can obtain a passport only after spending 1 year in the country. This will help reduce the number of immigrants who received Israeli passports and do not live in the country.

Previously, one could not stay in the country because Israel did not require permanent residency after obtaining citizenship.

According to Article 7 of the Citizenship Act, a marriage in Israel or outside the country concluded by a foreigner with an Israeli is the basis for granting Israeli citizenship to a foreign wife or husband.  

However, the passport isn’t issued automatically. The couple will have to go through a lengthy bureaucratic procedure, which, according to the most conservative calculations, will take several years.

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Here's what a citizen's wife/husband needs to get Israeli citizenship:

• Get a visa B1 with the right to work;
• After 6 months – pass an interview and issue an identity card of a temporary resident;
• Renew your identify card annually, as it is only valid for 12 months;
• After the end of the 4th year of residence as a temporary resident, apply for citizenship;
• In future, in order to obtain Israeli citizenship, a foreigner must submit a package of documents that includes:
• application for citizenship;
• temporary residence permit;
• the applicant's international passport and the second spouse's Israeli passport;
• marriage certificate (if issued in another country– translation and Apostille);
• other documents confirming that the marriage is not fictitious (shared photos, witness statements).

Who can apply for asylum in Israel?

You can apply for asylum if:

• you are a foreigner who are looking for asylum
• you have been in Israel for less than a year

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How do I apply?

1. Complete and submit an online application for refugee status.
2. You will receive an email confirmation that your application has been submitted.
3. You will have an appointment to confirm your details in person with the responsible border control officer at the Bnei Brak law enforcement agency.
4. After confirming your data in person with the enforcement authority, you will be sent for further processing, which will include an interview.
5. If your application is approved, you will be granted permission in accordance with the asylum seeker review process.

- You must go to an appointment – if you don't go, you will waive your right to apply for asylum.

- You must provide a clear copy of your passport, complete contact information, including your email address and phone number.

- If you are dependent, you must apply through the institution's administration.

If you don’t fill out the application correctly, it will be rejected:

• Fill out the application form in English;
• Be sure to include detailed information and answers to questions about your asylum application;
• Make sure that your answers are entered in the correct fields of the online application;
• Apply only online. Don’t use a paper application form

Important:

- You must attend a meeting at the Bnei Brac compulsion Center. If you do not, you will lose the right to apply for asylum.

- If you don’t have an appointment, you will not be allowed to enter the Bnei Brak Office of Population and Immigration.

- Appeals filed by unaccompanied minors, persons suffering from mental disorders or victims of torture will be treated with special attention and sensitivity in accordance with the circumstances.